“I’m sor…. I can’t give a refund,” I told her, surprising us both with how calm and stern my tone was.
“I beg your pardon?” She placed a hand on her chest as if I just told her I killed her cat.
“I can’t give you a refund,” I repeated. My heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest.
Abort, conflict, abort, my mind screamed. Leo moved closer, though, standing behind me like a celebrity bodyguard. I felt relaxed, knowing he would take the conversation over if I managed to panic and flee.
“It’s against our policy. We completed the job, which was in the front of your house,” I explained, using my hands as I spoke because it helped calm my breathing. “Our records show it’s the only part you would allow us to touch. Neither of us stepped foot back here, so the rose bushes are not our doing. We also took before and after photos. I’m sure some of them show the backyard. We’d be more than willing to share if you need proof.”
She blinked like a cartoon character. “Wow. Derek never made these kinds of mistakes.”
I’m sure she never asked Derek for a refund. He was eye candy for most of the women. She probably killed her own bushes by over-trimming them after being distracted with his abs. He preferred working shirtless.
The thought of her falling into the bushes while Derek power washed her driveway made me smile a bit. Terrible timing. Mrs. Arman huffed at my expression.
“I hope you smile like that after reading your one-star review,” she said. “I’ll be sure no one in this city books you. Now, get off my property.”
She stomped away before actually confirming our departure. Leo grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth in excitement.
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”
I beamed up at him. “That okay?”
He laughed. “I would have just left it at ‘fuck you,’ but your version was more respectable. Very classy. More you.”
“You think?” My cheeks burned a bit now, thinking back about the rant I’d gone on. Perhaps I had said too much, but it felt nice to focus on some of the things I did right.
For the first time in forever, I lingered on the right instead of the wrong, and man, that list outweighed the other tenfold.
“Hell yeah.” He wrapped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close as we started to the truck. “See, you can still be Kira and stick up for yourself. We’ll work on your brevity if you like?”
“I would.” I held onto him and hugged him. He felt so solid. And mine. God, I’d never thought he’d be mine.
“We have another goal, then,” he decided. “Before I leave, we’ll teach you how ‘fuck you,’ is a long enough response for… almost anything.”
I laughed a little. His mention of leaving dulled my mood a bit. We hadn’t discussed life after the summer. I kept putting it off in fear of moving too fast. Expecting too much. What would a relationship even look like when he was two states away? We weren’t even public yet.
“Game night at Claire’s, right?” he asked, distracting me from my internal crisis.
“Yeah, I’m bringing the popcorn.” I perked up a bit. “You’re coming? She invited the inner circle only.”
“I’m going if you’re going.” He opened the driver’s door for me. Nowadays, he didn’t mind my slow driving. Or, at least, he didn’t comment, which was good enough for me.
Before I got inside, he pulled me in for a kiss. I smiled against his lips when his hand squeezed my ass.
“Is that the smile of a woman who just earned a one-star review,” he teased, placing another kiss on my lips.
I laughed. “Why yes, it is.”
“Beautiful,” he declared.
* * *
Like most of us on Emerson, Claire didn’t grow up with much. But she had a good eye at the thrift store, and that skill was worth its weight in gold.
The small house she lived in with her dad looked cozy on the inside. Her worn couches were draped with soft knit blankets. Pillows were beaded or threaded with every color of the rainbow. Anytime you stepped inside, the place smelt like fresh linen. She brought a bulk order of candles years ago and was still going through her stash.
“This is cute,” Fran gushed, grabbing one of the heart-shaped coasters Claire laid out for our drinks. The marble pattern featured gold flecks that shone when Fran held it up in the light. “Everything is so cute. And clean. How?”
